I have watched my husband give his best over the year of lockdown. He was determined to write new music and that he did – with over 35 songs composed and over 24 recorded. They are his future.
It has been a mighty labor of love, and while working from home, I’ve listened to it in every phase. It is a spectacular statement of a life immersed in music that spans many genres’ – blues, jazz, soul and his passion, the dialog of African rhythm between the US, the Caribbean and South America. Every song highlights a creative aspect of this theme.
I’m watching what is needed to be your best, dedicate to your passion. He just launched his first song on Spotify, articles will soon to be published, there is a radio show, and finally a concert on July 9th. It is both exciting and fabulous. (See “Lee Carroll’s C The Beat” on Spotify, FB and Instagram*)
What can we learn from this?
FIND YOUR OWN VOICE
In a crowded field like music, you have to find your own voice. In Lee’s case, after playing professionally for years in the country genre, which was not his first love, he has embraced what he enjoys. He has reclaimed his interest in blues, jazz and world music, and more importantly composing.
With the world at our fingertips through the internet, there is something for everyone out there. It’s become more important than ever to find your own individual expression. That means paying attention to your inner voice and making it personal. There is no need or room for cheap imitation.
TAKE YOUR PASSION AND DIVE DEEP
Watching Lee “work” is funny – he spends a lot of time listening to music. He goes deep into it, tracing themes back to their source from many generations ago, noting how creative genius has been moved forward in new iterations. He listens to music from all over the world, paying the most attention to the masters of a genre. Then he does the real work of playing and composing.
While Lee’s work looks like play to me, I realize that my creative drive comes similarly. I need to get very still and meditate, ask questions, read and explore widely for answers. It only gets good when I dive deep, and make it personally satisfying. I think this is true for anything we want to make our best.
MAKE YOUR GOAL BIG
The big body of music Lee composed is part of a grand plan. He is releasing four EPs with 6 songs each over the course of a year. Each one highlights a different focus of his music: 1) “Dance, Dance” – world music, 2) “Bad Bad Benny” – soul jazz, 3) “Sound Track” – music for cinema and 4) “After Hours” – late night jazz. But launching this music is just one step toward a bigger goal; to build a body of work suitable for movies, television series and commercials.
Wow, you know it takes a big vision to make a big impact. It takes planning and coordination with many other professionals in the field. It requires that you spin many balls in the air at once. Nothing big happens in isolation. We fall short when we don’t dream big enough.
TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY
The most important aspect of being your best is what Lee realized – at this later stage of life, if he didn’t take his gifts seriously and do something with them, he would regret it. He has something to say, and the pandemic offered the perfect opportunity to express it.
What is wanting expression in your life? I love creating workshops, taking information that comes to me in mediation and studies, developing it into material that fosters personal and spiritual growth. I have been so busy this past year that I haven’t done this for myself. I realize it is time to take myself more seriously. What about you?
It’s been a wonderful lesson to watch Lee give his love of music his best effort. I have seen the merit of taking your passion and finding your own voice, being disciplined to do a deep dive to discover what you want to express. Ultimately you want your goal to be big enough to fully express how you take yourself seriously. All of this is needed to be your best.
Would you like support to embark on being your best? My Transformational Coaching and Therapy can help you structure a process to get there. Reach out at www.spectrumtransformation.com and use my Free Consultation link to reach me. I’d be honored to help.
#beyourbest #purposedrivenlife #selfdiscovery #coachinglife #selfreflection #lifecoachingtips #transformationcoach #purposeoflife #purposefulliving #fillyourcup #lifepurpose #findyourpurpose #livewithpurpose #purposeinlife #encouragement #selfdiscovery #growth #personalgrowth
- Check out Lee’s music, give a little love and follow “Lee Carroll’s C The Beat” on Spotify, Facebook and Instagram. Thank you!
- Photo Credit – Kinga Mnich
